


horas non numero nisi serenas

by atimi (bertee)



Series: CWRPF: horas non numero [6]
Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Ancient Rome, Beating, M/M, Slavery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-03-08
Updated: 2009-03-08
Packaged: 2017-11-11 10:08:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/477392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bertee/pseuds/atimi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Historical AU in which there is slave!Jensen, nobleman!Jared, and both boys being schmoopy and angsty in fairly equal measure.</p>
            </blockquote>





	horas non numero nisi serenas

  
When a slimy fish was shoved under his nose, Jared was reminded why he hated the forum.

The crowds, the noise, the smell, even the unpleasant burn in the back of his throat from the polluted air; all of them contributed to the stifling environment. Hemmed between the buildings like sheep in a pen, it was all Jared could do to avoid being herded back and forth by the surges of the crowd as they bustled about to buy their goods, watch the trial of the day, and argue with the self-important officials in the record offices.

Unfortunately, like so many of Rome's inhabitants, he had no way of avoiding the forum. His days of sleeping away the daylight hours and drinking away the night had been curtailed by his father shortly after his seventeenth birthday and he had been forced to find a real job to occupy his time. Always one for talking excessively, Jared had found his niche in the law courts and currently acted as an apprentice for some of the most renowned speakers of his time, who all shared the opinion that he had a bright future ahead of him. (Jared thought it was fairly useful that rhetorical skill went hand in hand with political success. His big mouth actually stood a chance of landing him the consulship one day.)

However, while he did enjoy the oratory-based part of his day, getting slapped across the face by a wet fish left much to be desired.

Too tired to get into an argument over the fish slap - not least because Mike the fishmonger was liable to attack people with haddocks if provoked - Jared kept his head down, which in itself was not an easy feat, and pushed on through the afternoon crowds. He successfully navigated his way past the butcher, a slave-trader, and a freedman arguing loudly with his patron, and was about to duck into a side alley when he caught sight of a familiar form amid the throngs of people.

Unable to stop the smile spreading across his face, Jared felt his mood improve suddenly and drastically.

No longer fazed by the fullness of the forum, he chased after his target like a kitten after a ball of wool, weaving his way through the crowds in pursuit. He swerved to avoid a litter and nearly flattened a philosopher, who was unlucky enough to be preaching about a life of leisure when he was squished by a none-too-leisurely Jared, before he eventually caught up to the object of his attentions.

Jared fell back and observed for a moment as Jensen struggled to fight his way through to a side street, his task made even more difficult by the bulky amphora of oil in his arms and the short, dark tunic which informed everyone that he was either a slave or a workman and so was able to be jostled out of the way by his superiors. Jared was spurred into action when he saw a senator in a purple-edged toga almost knock the pot from Jensen's hands, and made his move.

He felt the shorter man tense at the presence of Jared's body behind him, but his shoulders relaxed at the familiar touch of Jared's hand to the base of his spine. Lips barely moving, he murmured hopefully against Jensen's ear, "You got time?"

Jensen kept his eyes forward, giving no sign that he'd heard him, but Jared recognized the note of happiness in his voice as he replied quietly, "Yeah, I've got time."

Jared didn't know it was possible for his grin to get any wider. "Meet you there."

With a final playful tap to Jensen's back, he set off on the long way round to their usual meeting place. He ducked quickly into a shop as he went, slipping his purchase into his leather pouch and tossing a few coins at the proprietor before continuing on to the agreed location.

Despite the sun being high in the sky, the narrow street was still hidden in darkness by the tall, rickety buildings that flanked its sides. Away from most of the noise of the forum, Jared wrinkled his nose as he wandered past the cheaper butcher's shop that seemed to smell worse every single time he went near it. There was no sign of Jensen and he wandered further down the alley, ignoring the drunken yells from the tavern, whose patrons were used to keeping quiet about a host of things more sordid than a rendezvous between a citizen of noble rank and a slave.

Keeping an eye on his money nonetheless, Jared leaned against the wall of the apartment block behind him and let his fingers tangle in the material of his toga as he waited.

He didn't need to wait long, and he found himself re-evaluating his apparently limitless smiling capabilities when Jensen appeared at the other end of the back street. Face flushed but eyes bright, he hurried to where Jared was standing and quickly deposited the amphora on the ground before getting a hold of himself. Jared pushed himself up off the wall as Jensen paused uncertainly, clearly wanting to jump him right there but held back by his usual nerves and instead offering a tentative greeting.

"Hey."

Jared rolled his eyes, cupped Jensen's face in his hands, and pulled him easily into a kiss. Jensen's reticence melted away under the heat of the kiss, and Jared's back collided with the wall again as he returned the kiss, hands linked behind his neck and bodies pressed together in the shade of the alley. Jensen tasted of bread and salt, the flavor of the meager lunch he'd been given mixing with the tang of sweat which lingered at the corners of his mouth. Jared's tongue slid hungrily against his lips, licking away the smear of oil intended to prevent them cracking in the heat, and getting down to the welcome taste of Jensen himself.

Lost in the sensation, he only remembered they were in a (semi-)public setting when Jensen pulled back, wiping his mouth and dropping his eyes sheepishly to the ground. Jared drank him in with his eyes while his mouth was busy letting air back into his lungs, seeing the flush of his cheeks which hid the freckles dusted across his nose, freckles which had only become more prominent since Jensen's latest master had sent him out of the house on more errands (and Jared was not complaining about the chance to steal time with Jensen on a more regular basis.) The skin that wasn't hidden under his cheap tunic glowed with a healthy tan and as much as Jared wanted to pull off the garment and explore the rest of him, the skin that was covered was off-limits for the moment.

Unable to see for himself, he let his hands rest on Jensen's hips and asked quietly, "You okay?"

Jensen nodded, swiping at the sweat trickling from his hairline. "I'm good. Really."

"You sure?" Jared looked more intensely at Jensen as though that would somehow drag the truth out of him. "Everyone says Bana is strict with his slaves."

Jensen's teasing smile made Jared feel a little less worried. "'Everyone', huh? The whole of the Roman Empire is saying that?"

Looking contrite, Jared amended, "Okay, 'everyone' might have been a tiny exaggeration. But I'm a lawyer now. I've got reputable sources."

"Oh really? Would these 'reputable sources' be Chad?"

Jared dropped his eyes guiltily. "Maybe..."

Jensen sighed good-naturedly and Jared suddenly felt a lot younger than the other man. There were only a couple of years between them but sometimes the weight of Jensen's experiences against his own free upbringing made him feel like a child in comparison.

Before he could wallow too much in his immaturity, he felt Jensen's hand brushing his hair out of his eyes as he asked, "What's 'Master Murray' doing with himself now? Is he on his way to becoming a hot-shot lawyer too, or is he still perfecting the arts of drinking and whoring?"

Relaxing, Jared answered with mock-offense, "No! Chad's moved on, he's going up in the world, he-" Unable to keep up the pretence, he shrugged. "He's added gambling to his List of Skills that Don't Involve Leaving the House."

"Always knew he'd be successful," Jensen deadpanned.

Jared chuckled briefly, smile fading as he reminded, "You didn't answer my question. Is Chad right? Is Bana too strict with his slaves?"

"Chad's definition of 'too strict' is probably going to be a little different from the majority's," Jensen said with a smile. "The whole time I was with him, he barely gave out a single punishment." Jensen's smile vanished at the sight of the grim expression Jared knew was on his face, and he kept quiet until Jensen disclosed reluctantly, "Bana's a fair master. Yeah, he's strict, but you know what's expected of you and what the penalty is for fucking up. That's a lot more than some people get."

"Penalty?" Jared repeated with concern. "How bad are his penalties?"

In his opinion, the question was a valid one - he'd seen slaves executed for over-cooking their masters' dinner - but the tight line of his lips told him Jensen held a different view. "It's not your business how a man treats his slaves, Jared."

His voice was clipped, and Jared felt something cold seeping through his blood even in the muggy heat of the city. He stroked circles on Jensen's hipbones with his thumbs as he said honestly, "It's my business when that slave is you."

Jensen's icy facade cracked but still held. "It shouldn't be. I'm not yours; you should be settling down and finding a wife rather than worrying about someone else's property."

Jared's eyebrows shot up and he voiced the first thought that came to his stunned mind. "You want to stop seeing me?"

"No," he answered quickly, ice dropping away completely as he reassured, "God, no. But you need to think about your future, and your career, and your marriage, not whether my master'll give me an extra blanket in winter."

Jared blinked. "Do you think he won't?" Seeing the exasperation on Jensen's face, he backtracked, tugging him in closer. "I'm sorry, okay? I get it. I do. I'm working on my career and I'm sure my father's already scouting out some ex-consul's daughter for me to marry. But my future? Is going to have you in it." He crooked his finger under his chin, watching as Jensen's cloudy eyes rose to his own. "One day, I'm going to buy you. I know I don't have enough money right now, but I will, and I'm going to buy you and set you free. I swear."

He'd said the words more times than he could count over the past five years. Every time Jensen was put on display with a price around his neck that was beyond Jared's means, every time he saw a new bruise or scar on Jensen's body that he hadn't been able to prevent, every time Jensen's duties brought an end to their stolen kisses, Jared had made the same promise.

He meant every single word and he knew Jensen was telling the truth when he responded sincerely, "I believe you."

Not wanting to get trapped in dreams of things they didn't have, Jared concentrated on what they did have and reached for his pouch as he commented, "I know I shouldn't be asking about Bana's household, but is he feeding you enough? You're looking awful skinny there, Jen."

He poked him teasingly in the stomach, laughing when Jensen punched him squarely on the arm in retribution. "You can talk. I've seen dragonflies with bigger muscles than you."

"I had a growth spurt," Jared retorted defensively. "Anyway, I'm still only twenty. I got plenty of time to grow out as well as up." Delving in his bag, he pulled out a large flaky pastry, still warm from the bakery, and wafted it in front of Jensen's face. "This'll be a good start."

Jensen unconsciously licked his lips at the food that was now hovering at mouth height, and Jared coaxed, "You can take it. Contrary to popular belief, I do actually share sometimes."

Gaze flickering between Jared and the pastry, Jensen moistened his lips again before leaning in and carefully biting off a small corner. Jared's own mouth felt incredibly dry when Jensen's eyes fluttered closed and he groaned low with pleasure at the taste of the food. He watched him chew slowly and swallow before looking back at him with a dazed expression of satisfaction that Jared had only ever seen on the rare occasions they got the chance to do more than kiss.

"That's amazing," Jensen confessed, a wide, child-like smile spreading across his face.

Jared smirked. "And here was me thinking only I could make you that happy."

Jensen blushed, apparently embarrassed by the fact that he'd been making sex noises at a pastry. Wanting the happy smile back, Jared nodded for Jensen to come lean against the wall beside him before tearing the pastry in half and passing some to Jensen. (And if Jensen's half happened to be bigger than Jared's half, well, that was just fortunate coincidence.)

They ate in mostly silence for a few moments, with Jared being glad for his hourly intake of sugar but mostly transfixed by Jensen's genuine pleasure at what he considered to be an ordinary snack. Finishing off his own in a couple of chomps and one swallow, he watched with a smile as Jensen nibbled carefully at his, entranced by the delicious pastry and savoring each bite as though it was going to have to last him a lifetime.

Jared made a mental note to bring food for Jensen more often if it would provoke this reaction.

When the pastry was gone, Jensen eagerly licked every last trace of it from his fingers and the sight of his pink tongue darting in and out was almost enough to have Jared making inappropriate noises of his own. Moving to stand in front of Jensen, he let his own mouth replace Jensen's and sucked slowly and deliberately on one of his fingers while Jensen let out a sound that was half-laugh, half-whimper. Chuckling, Jared raised his head and teased, "Was it good for you?"

"Very." Jensen dropped his lips to kiss the knuckles of the hand that was still lingering near his face. "Thank you. I've never-" He cleared his throat and repeated simply, "Thank you."

Doing his best not to show how not okay it was that Jensen needed to be so grateful for a snack that was a last minute thought, Jared settled for an equally simple "You're welcome."

Their lips met halfway as they both moved in for a languorous kiss, sugar and cinnamon passing between their taste-buds when their tongues slid together with comfortable familiarity. Jared's hand carded through Jensen's hair, feeling it damp with sweat as he angled his head to allow him to tickle the roof of his mouth with his tongue. Jensen returned both favors, gripping Jared's hair in return and exploring his mouth further before biting lightly on his lower lip.

Jared growled at the sensation and pressed him harder against the wall, bodies rutting together and their arousal only hidden by thin layers of draped fabric. Jensen's head fell back against the stone, and Jared heard his regretful sigh as he trailed kisses down his bare throat.

"I need to go."

He sucked pointedly on the ridge of his clavicle and Jensen whimpered before repeating, "I need to go, Jared." He finally detached himself from Jensen's neck only to have him run his thumb along the line of his cheekbone with the apology, "I'm sorry. If I had a choice, you know I'd stay, but they'll be wondering where I am." He kissed him softly. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Jared straightened up with a sigh and adjusted his toga. "It's not your fault." He backed off to allow Jensen to make himself presentable. "As long as I get to see you at all, I'm good-"

The syllable didn't even make it out of his mouth as a crack sounded through the relative silence of the alley.

Cringing, Jared met Jensen's wide eyes before both of them lowered their gazes at the same time to see the amphora of oil lying in pieces by Jared's foot, its contents spreading in a slick, dark puddle on the stones.

"Fuck..."

Jensen was on his knees before Jared could do anything more than curse, and he stood helplessly as he gathered up the broken pieces of terracotta, testing to see whether they could be put back into a recognizable shape. Despite his efforts, the shattered pot remained a lost cause, and Jared ran a hand through his hair as Jensen let the pieces fall from his oily hands, standing slowly back upright.

"Fuck, Jensen, I'm so sorry. I'll go buy a new one and we can get it refilled and you can take it back and they won't know the difference."

Jensen's previously flushed face was now pale as he shook his head. "They'll know."

"They won't, we can go-"

"I'm late," Jensen interrupted, his voice absent and detached. "I need to get back."

"Wait, wait," Jared pleaded, trying to force his mind to come up with a plan. "We can sort this out, okay? I can come with you, and explain what happened. They can't punish you for something if it wasn't your fault."

Jensen's laugh was harsh and brittle but the sting of it was drowned out by the fear in his eyes. "You know as well as I do that won't work," he said with surprising calmness. "It won't be that bad. Like I said, Bana's a fair man." His hand landed on Jared's shoulder before he turned to walk away. "Don't worry about it."

Jared's hand closed round his wrist, holding him back. "No." Jensen stared up at him, expression blank as he repeated, "No. I'm not letting you- You can't do this. _They_ can't do this. It was me, I-"

"Accidents happen," Jensen soothed, again sounding much older than his twenty-three years. "Everyone knows that. Bana will be angry that I wasted his money, but he'll understand. He won't kill me over this."

"Kill you?" The notion hit Jared like a punch to the gut. "He couldn't-"

"He won't," Jensen said again, with far more composure than Jared could comprehend. "It'll be fine, Jared. I promise."

"But-"

Jensen's mouth was on his once more, going through the same motions that had worked a minute ago but which now seemed false and empty. Out of habit, he surrendered to it, letting Jensen lull him back to something approaching calmness with each lick and suck from his tongue and lips.  
  
They broke apart and Jared asked nervously, "You sure you're going to be okay? I'll deliver a replacement as soon as I can; the amphora shouldn't be too hard to find but it could take a couple of hours to get enough oil. You think you can explain it to them?"

Jensen nodded slowly, a comforting smile on his lips but a different emotion entirely lurking behind the shutters of his eyes. Jared didn't know whether it was fear or anger, and didn't like the thought of either of them. Unable to do more, he kissed Jensen again but only felt worse when it was empty, Jensen's mind on other matters than Jared's touch.

"I'm sorry. I’ll fix it, I swear. I'm so sorry, Jen."

"Don't be." He unintentionally parroted Jared's own words back to him, robbing them of all conviction. "It's not your fault."

He left before Jared could offer any more helpless apologies, head down as he walked back out into the sunlight.

Scrubbing his hand across his face, Jared kicked out at the broken pot with a shout of frustration, hating that after the minor success of the pastry, his own clumsiness had made things worse for Jensen. Enjoying the buzz of pain as the edge of the pottery caught the inside of his ankle, he headed out to try to make things right, doing his best to believe Jensen's hollow assurance that it wasn't his fault.

He showed up at the Bana household two hours later with a replacement amphora of oil and a rhetorically perfect speech conveying his sincere apologies.  
  
It felt like it was all for nothing when he saw the cruel red welts that already stood in stripes across Jensen's back.  



End file.
